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World Cup Rank: The top 50 players competing at Russia 2018. ReadThe results are in! See the final World Cup Ultimate XI. Read

Alternative 2018 World Cup Fans' Guide: Forget tactics, here's what you really need to know! ReadWorld Cup team posters: Check out our specially commissioned graphics.World Cup 2018 team previews: What you need to know about all 32 teams. Read

Borden: Will the World Cup in Russia be overshadowed by racism, hooligans and politics? ReadMarvel's Amazing World Cup Spoilers: Marvel brings you the epic stories, big heroes and mega-villains in Russia this summer. ReadSpecial report: Inside Russia's new-school hooligan culture. ReadWorld Cup Boot-Spotter's Guide: Who is wearing what on their feet?ReadIceland: Remember the darlings of Euro 2016? They want to shock the world. And there's more to them than that thunderclap. Read

World Cup Top Tenners: We take a look at the good, the bad and the ugly from tournaments gone by. ReadWorld Cup final 23-man squads: Who will be on the plane to Russia? ReadBest represented clubs: Which clubs are sending the most men to the biggest show on Earth? ReadPower Rankings: The Top 10 teams, as voted for by editors around the world. ReadWorld Cup rivalries: Beckham vs. Simeone, Zidane vs. Materazzi and Pele vs. Moore are among the best we have seen. Read

VAR: What it means for the World Cup finals. ReadBest World Cup mascots: From cuddly to surreal to conceptual art projects, mascots down the years have been a mixed bunch. ReadPhoto Gallery: Introducing the next generation of World Cup stars.ReadHow the World Cup affects MLS: With MLS taking a short break during the World Cup, we look at the teams hardest hit. Read

Letters From Russia

Eliot Rothwell visits the hosts cities for an inside look at Russia.

Rostov-on-Don: The smaller cities love to host visitors... and give them a taste of raki. ReadMoscow: The Russian capital feels like a new city as foreign fans arrive awash with excitement for the start of the tournament.ReadKazan: Shared by ethnic Tatars and ethnic Russians, by Islam and Orthodoxy, everything coexists in a modern, globalized city. ReadSochi: It was developed as a place for Russia's regular folk to get a beach holiday, but is becoming another playground for the elite. ReadNizhny Novgorod: It was "closed" to foreigners for much of its existence but, since the Soviet Union fell, it has warmed to outside culture. Read

Last Train to Russia

Martin Ainstein visits each host city to see what competing nations can expect.